In order to accurately simulate the behavior of a live network, accurate network topology information must be provided to the network simulation tool. In the prior art, the simulation tools require a user to manually construct a network model. Typically, the user would construct a network model by hand with a special-purpose graphics package.
However, this prior art method is time-consuming and error-prone. In this prior art method, the user must have a conception of the model, or else consult other engineers, before building the model for the simulation tool. Consumption of time and error may result from the conceptualization process and in the manual entering of the network model. A more time-efficient and accurate means for providing topology information of a live network to the network simulator is highly desirable.